Any fan of Harry Potter has done it. You pick up a stick, give it a twirl, and in your best British accent yell, “Expecto Patronum!” Even though you might never receive your letter from Hogwarts, it is still a lot of fun to image yourself as a wizard or witch in the world of Harry Potter. So many enchanting places, so many otherworldly characters, and so many spells and charms.
In fact, it often seems like there is a spell for just about anything. Need to unlock a door? Alohomora! Need to disarm another wizard? Expelliarmus! Need to shut up an annoying sibling? Silencio!
With so many different spells, it can hard to keep track of them all. Here is our definitive guide to Harry Potter spells.
What Counts as a Spell?
British novelist J. K. Rowling first introduced us to Harry Potter and his wizarding world with the release of her book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Since then, six other books in the series have been released. These books would inspire a series of Hollywood films, and various other derivative works. As Harry’s world continues to expand, it can be hard to keep track of all the various new spells and charms.
Rowling as defined a spell as “The generic term for a piece of magic.” Spells can be assigned to different classifications. For example there are charms, jinxes, transfigurations, hexes, curses, Counter-spell, and healing-spells. Rowling herself has classified them in the following ways:
Spell: The generic term for a piece of magic.
Charm: Does not fundamentally alter the properties of the subject of the spell, but adds, or changes, properties. Turning a teacup into a rat would be a spell, whereas making a teacup dance would be a charm. The grey area comes with things like ‘Stunning Spells’, which on balance I think are Charms, but which I call spells for alliterative effect.
Hexes: Has a connotation of dark magic, as do jinxes, but of a minor sort. I see ‘hex’ as slightly worse. I usually use ‘jinx’ for spells whose effects are irritating but amusing.
Curses: Reserved for the worst kinds of dark magic.
An incantation is the word (or words) spoken to invoke a spell.
Ron: “Wingardium Leviosa!”
Hermione: “You’re saying it wrong. It’s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.”
In an effort to provide some basic limitations and boundaries, it seems important to separate spells mentioned directly in the seven Harry Potter novels from those learned about in various other works. So when talking about Harry Potter spells, only those that appear in the seven books should count. Those spells mentioned only in films, video games, and other novels, while important, should fall into their own category.
With that said, here is a list of all Harry Potter spells from Rowling’s seven main Harry Potter novels.
A Handy List of Harry Potter Spells
| Age Line (Incantation Unknown) | Jelly-Legs Jinx |
| Aguamenti | Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) |
| Alohomora | Langlock |
| Anapneo | Legilimens |
| Aparecium | Levicorpus |
| Arania Exumai | Liberacorpus |
| Anti-Cheating Spell (Incantation Unknown) | Locomotor |
| Anti-Disapparition Jinx (Incantation Uknown) | Leg-Locker Curse |
| Babbling Curse (Incantation Unknown) | Lumos |
| Banishing Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Memory Charm (Obliviate) |
| Bat-Bogey Hex (Incantation Unknown) | Meteolojinx Recanto |
| Bedazzling Hex (Incantation Unknown) | Mobiliarbus |
| Bombarda Maxima | Mobilicorpus |
| Bubble-Head Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Morsmordre |
| Caterwauling Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Muffliato |
| Cave Inimicum | Muggle-Repelling Charm (Repello Muggletum) |
| Cheering Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Nox |
| Colloportus | Obliteration Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Color-Change Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Obscuro |
| Confringo | Oppugno |
| Confundus Charm (Confundo) | Orchideous |
| Conjunctivitus Curse (Incantation Unknown) | Pack |
| Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) | Patented Daydream Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Cushioning Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) |
| Deletrius | Permanent Sticking Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Densaugeo | Peskipiksi Pesternomi |
| Deprimo | Piertotum Locomotor |
| Descendo | Portus |
| Diffindo | Prior Incantato |
| Disillusionment Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Protean Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Dissendium | Protego Horribilis |
| Drought Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Protego Totalum |
| Engorgement Charm (Engorgio) | Quietus |
| Entrail-Expelling Curse (Incantation Unknown) | Reducio |
| Episkey | Reducto |
| Erecto | Refilling Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Expelliarmus | Revulsion Jinx (Relashio) |
| Expulso | Rennervate |
| Extinguishing Spell (Incantation Unknown) | Reparo |
| Ferula | Repelling Charm |
| Fianto Duri | Repello Inimicum |
| Fidelius Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Rictusempra |
| Fiendfyre Curse (Incantation Unknown) | Riddikulus |
| Finite | Salvio Hexia |
| Flagrate | Scourgify |
| Flagrante Curse (Flagrante) | Sectumsempra |
| Flame-Freezing Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Serpensortia |
| Flying Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Shield Charm (Protego) |
| Freezing Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Silencio |
| Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) | Sonorus |
| Four-Point Spell (Point Me) | Scarpin’s Revelaspell (Incantation Unknown) |
| Furnunculus | Stealth Sensoring Spell (Incantation Unknown) |
| Gemino Curse (Geminio) | Stunning Spell (Stupefy) |
| Glisseo | Supersensory Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Hair-Thickening Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Summoning Charm (Accio) |
| Homenum Revelio | Switching Spell (Incantation Unknown) |
| Homorphus Charm | Taboo Curse (Incantation Unknown) |
| Horcrux Curse (Incantation Unknown) | Tarantallegra |
| Hover Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Tergeo |
| Hurling Hex (Incantation Unknown) | Tongue-Tying Curse (Incantation Unknown) |
| Impediment Jinx (Impedimenta) | Transmogrifian Torture (Incantation Unknown) |
| Imperius Curse (Imperio) | Unbreakable Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Imperturbable Charm (Incantation Unknown) | Unbreakable Vow (Incantation Unknown) |
| Impervius | Undetectable Extension Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
| Inanimatus Conjurus Spell (Incantation Unknown) | Vanishing Spell (Evanesco) |
| Incarcerous | Waddiwasi |
| Incendio | Wingardium Leviosa |
| Intruder Charm (Incantation Unknown) |
Now that you know all the Harry Potter spells, test your knowledge in the fun quiz below!
If this appealed to the Potterhead in you, check out our other magical content – Pottermasters, pick up lines, and character debates galore. Or, prove you’ve got the HP skills with our Harry Potter quizzes.
